Traveling to France

Traveling to France in spring

During this time, almost all colleges and universities in every continent in the world are enjoying one week of vacation to welcome spring season and the blossoming of new flowers.

This in essence is the new year of the botanical life. And of course, during their spring break, students will naturally not stay at home but will travel to cool places. And the coolest place to be in the world is in France.

The coolest place in the France is in the French Riviera.

Because it is located in the Mediterranean with its nice climate, healthy food and extremely beautiful resorts, this is the hanging out of the rich and famous not just in Europe but the rest of the world.

The French Riviera has healthy food because the Mediterranean diet consists of seafood.

They have beautiful resorts because each resort engages in a healthy competition among each other to attract more customers.

There are actually two kinds of resorts here – the conventional and the nudist one. It’s nice to skinny dip in a nudist resort at night because planktons will illuminate your whole body.

If you are planning to take a vacation in Paris, then it’s another wondrous and romantic spot.

I say it is a very romantic city because you will be encountering French guys and the French are said to be the most romantic people on earth.

Besides, Paris is a city of lights all year long and you will see all the famous structures such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees and the Notre Dame Cathedral all spectacularly illuminated at night.

If you are dining in a high-rise restaurant overlooking the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine, then that’s another way to be romantic.

A Wonderful French Romance during Valentines

French Romance during Valentine

NOTHING beats celebrating Valentines in France than watching a French movie. There are lots of hot actors and actresses out there. One of the most spellbinding movies that is currently played even in Hollywood is La Vie en Rose.

La Vie en Rose is the moving and heart-wrenching biography of French singing legend Edith Piaf. The movie is not told chronologically and this is what makes French filmmakers a cut above the rest. They hate those old boring Hollywood clichés.

They want to tell French stories that are interesting even to foreign viewers who do not understand French at all. By the way, La Vie en Rose is dubbed entirely in French so ya’ll who only understand only English need to strain your eyes and read the subtitles at the same time.

La Vie en Rose takes us to a journey into Edith Piaf’s tragic life and the causes behind those tragedies which ultimately made her succumb to liver cancer at the age of 47. They say that French men are sweet and romantic. But how about the French women?

Are they sweet and romantic as well? I’d rather say they are more of the seductress types. Edith Piaf is one. Even the men behind her are spellbound by her seductiveness. There was one guy he was a middleweight boxer and on the way to fame.

He was married but smitten by Edith’s poison ivy and femme fatale persona.

Edith made boxer Marcel Cerdan go to Paris to meet her. When he grudgingly obliged, he boarded an ill-fated Air France flight which crashed, killing everyone aboard, including him of course.

That is how tragic Edith Piaf can be.

Of course, Edith Piaf’s music is being revived today with the release of the soundtrack of La Vie en Rose. Her haunting voice in the 1930s is now a household name in contemporary France.

Equally impressive in her role as Edith Piaf is French newcomer, Marion Cotillard who is 32 years old.

Since I have already told you about a woman French fatale like Edith Piaf, here’s another one.

She is the famous St. Joan de Arc, lovingly revered by the French people and regarded as the nation’s Roman Catholic patron saint. St. Joan de Arc stood before the power-that-be in her time and was ultimately condemned to die by being burned at the tender age of 19.

Joan of Arc is an epitome of a French woman resilient even during trying times.

Now let’s take a look at the visionary French film directors which have shaped our view of what is cinema today.

Aside from Olivier Dahan who directed La Vie en Rose in all its glory, there’s another director that I like Julian Schnabel for his work in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

It is the biography of paralyzed Elle editor Jean Dominique Bauby and just like Dahan, Julian Schnabel did not use chronology in putting out this movie.

Beyond Paris

Paris is a beautiful city—it is the City of Lights, the Romance Capital of the World. But don’t miss out on what lies beyond its borders.

This city is the centre of France’s wine industry, and one of the best places to start a wine tour.

The surrounding areas are full of picturesque vineyards where you can find out how wine is made.

One of the best places to go to is the Chateau Mouton-Rothschild where the tour includes an opportunity it taste and smell the grapes and observe the wine making process.

Bordeaux, as fitting this tradition, is also full of excellent restaurants. Enjoy the cheese, the dishes, and of course, the wine—and just relax and unwind.

It’s a quieter place with a slower pace and ideal for those who are a bit burnt out by the whirl of excitement in Paris. The outdoor cafes in the Place de la Comedie are great for an al fresco lunch.

For an Endless Party St. Tropez
St. Tropez has gone through many transformations. It was once a little known, low-key fishing village, no different from the others that lined France’s shores. Over the years it became an artist’s retreat. The picturesque scenery and the quiet, relaxing atmosphere attracted painters Matisse, Signac and Seurat. They lived here for several years and made some of their most significant works during their stay. Today, though, St. Tropez attracts a different kind of crowd: the celebrities, the jetsetters, and the party goers.

For Fun in the Sun The Mountains and Beaches

Do you want to swim and get a tan? Or do you feel like hitting the slopes instead of the surf? France has a diverse geography and tourists can choose form sunny beaches or the snow-capped mountains. For those who prefer to hike, the gorgeous countryside of Provence awaits. The roads that wind through this region make for easy driving, though the rolling hills and vibrant colors of a French summer tempt you to just stop and savor the beauty.